Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned after his cousin stepped forward as the fifth man to accuse Murray publicly of sexually abusing him as a minor.

After the accusations of sexual abuse earlier this year, Murray denied wrongdoing but announced he would not seek reelection.

City Councilman Bruce Harrell will become mayor and has five days to decide whether to fill out the remainder of Murray’s term.

Photo of Seattle City Hall By SounderBruce via Wikimedia Commons

On July 20, the Washington Legislature adjourned its third special session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill due to negotiations breaking down on a water-rights bill that was tied to the budget.

Gov. Jay Inslee indicated that he would not call lawmakers back for another overtime session unless they have a firm plan that will lead to a vote on the capital budget.

On June 21, the Washington Legislature adjourned its second special session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill during the session forcing Gov. Jay Inslee to call for another special session to start immediately after adjournment.

A two-year operating budget needs signed into law by June 30 or the state faces a partial government shutdown.

On May 23, the Washington Legislature adjourned its first special session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill during the session forcing Gov. Jay Inslee to call for a second 30-day special session to start immediately after adjournment.

A two-year operating budget needs signed into law by June 30 or the state faces a partial government shutdown.

On April 23, the Washington Legislature adjourned the regular session sine die.

Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on a budget bill during the regular session, forcing a special session to start Monday, April 24.

A two-year operating budget needs to be signed into law by June 30 or the state faces a partial government shutdown.

The executive director of Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission, Evelyn Fielding Lopez, announced her plan to leave her position in May.

Lopez was appointed in October 2015 and faced calls for her resignation from Republican leaders in 2016 alleging bias in favor of Democrats.

The Commission appointed Barbara “BG” Sandahl as the agency’s new assistant director.

The appointment of the next executive director is expected to be made soon.

Lawmakers in Washington have introduced two bills to enhance campaign finance disclosure and ethics laws.

Senate Bill 5108 aims to increase transparency of “gray money” by limiting political action committees from receiving 70 percent or more of their contributions from other political committees.

Another proposal, House Bill 1159, seeks to establish revolving door provisions requiring former state officials to take a yearlong “cooling-off” period before they can become lobbyists.

The regular legislative session is fast approaching and is set to convene January 9, 2017. With 30 days before the official start date, December 10, 2016, will mark the date legislators and state executive officeholders may not solicit or accept campaign contributions until the session adjourns.

Candidates may accept contributions that were made on December 9 or earlier, including contributions that were mailed and bear a December 9 postmark.

Despite strong support from democrats, Washington voters did not back Initiative 1464. The measure would have required new campaign finance disclosures, limited contributions by lobbyists and government contractors, and imposed a three-year waiting period on lobbying by former public officials and senior staff.

On the other hand, Initiative 735 was approved by 63.84% of voters. The measure will urge the state congressional delegation to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution regarding campaign financing. The measure also requests the state to ratify the constitutional amendment once passed by Congress.

The Legislative Ethics Board will consider whether lawmakers need to file fundraising reports for money received to attend national political conventions as delegates.

Some lawmakers attending this summer’s political conventions as delegates raised money to help fund their attendance at the conventions through crowdsourcing sites such as GoFundMe. Informal advice earlier this year provided to lawmakers said that such donations did not violate ethics rules and did not need to be reported.

The Legislative Ethics Board is expected to review the matter in October.

Photo of the Washington State Capitol by Tradnor on Wikimedia Commons.

Backers of Washington’s Initiative 1464 have submitted more than the required 326,000 signatures to appear on the November ballot.

If voters approve the measure, the initiative will require new campaign finance disclosures, limit contributions by lobbyists and government contractors, and impose a three-year waiting period on lobbying by former public officials and senior staff. I-1464 also seeks to create a publicly funded voucher system for contributions.

The Office of the Secretary of State must still validate the signatures before I-1464 will officially be added to the ballot.

Photo of the Washington State Capitol by Nikopoley on Wikimedia Commons.

Pierce County Council recently passed an ordinance amending the county’s code of ethics to remove existing restrictions on lobbying. Prior to the passage of the ordinance, lobbyists were required to register and file activity reports.

The ordinance became effective March 28, 2016

The Washington Attorney General’s Office has been asked to give an informal opinion as to whether initiative campaigns need to disclose top five donors on signature gathering petitions. This request comes from Senator Pam Roach, who is taking issue with the Public Disclosure Commission’s advice for initiative campaigns to disclose top donors on petitions.

State law requires political committees to include their five top contributors on political ads about ballot measures that cost $1,000 or more. The issue is whether initiative petitions are advertisements and thus subject to the disclosure requirement. Because this issue arose during an election cycle, the Secretary of State’s Office will accept all valid petition signatures regardless of whether the donors are disclosed.

The Washington State Legislature adjourned its special session on March 29, 2016. The special session was needed to pass a supplemental budget.

The new budget plan increases spending by $191 million.